Lovely Or Should I Say, Clovely
by I-Clove-U
Summary: "We're gonna kill you.. just like we did with your pathetic little ally.." -Clove; Ever wondered what's going on in Clove's mind during The Hunger Games? Well, here it is. THG in Clove's POV - Characters belong to Suzanne Collins, writing belongs to me.
1. The Reaping

Hii!

So, I finished _The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, _and _Mockingjay, _around last December. I thought they were, just, totally amazing. My favourite characters are _Katniss_, _Peeta, Clove, _and _Rue. _I've been thinking of making a fanfiction for a while- so, here it is! It may not be the best, I know, but hopefully I'll get some reviews? My Chapters aren't as long, I dont go into that much details, so hopefully your fine with it!

Anyways, on with the story!

**Disclaimer: **All characters, ideas, etc.. belong to the amazing genius, Suzzane Collins! However, this writing, belongs to me..

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**Chapter 1 - The Reaping**

The last knife, I release with a sense of satisfaction. All ten have flown into the bullseye of my handmade target. My training is not over... Yet. After my knife-throwing, comes weight lifting with my brothers and a 3 kilometer run. After that, breakfast.

"Clove!" my father is calling for me. "Let's go!"

"Great," I whisper to myself, grinning.

Unlike any other day, my father lets us skip the rest of the training because today, is special. Reaping day, in which two teenagers from each district are chosen to fight to the death in an arena.

In other Districts- like 11 and 12, they're dreading for this day to come. Hah! Those poor and starving kids, their stunned faces at the reaping each year.. Having taken tons or tessera...

What's Tessera? Well, let's say your poor and starving. You can sign up for Tesserae, which you will get a year supply of grain and oil in exchange for your name being in the reaping bowl one more time.

Your name is put in the reaping bowl once at age 12, twice at age 13, and on and on until your 18 years old. Unless you sign up for tesserae.

I eat a bowl of vegetables, and snack on a bit of cheese.  
After our quick breakfast, we've got to get ready.

I go to my room, and open my small closet that contains a couple outfits.

My reaping outfit is a plain dark blue dress, with a single green stripe at the bottom. I tie my jet-black hair with a thick white hair tie, and go back to the living room where I find my two brothers, Calvin and Meirlon, are already ready.

They're both wearing dark pants- and a plain grey t-shirt.

Calvin is 12, yes, still on his first reaping. He's an awesome weight-lifter, I have to say, he's a tiny bit better then Meirlon, whos 18.  
Calvin doesn't really care if he gets chosen, he knows some other boy will volunteer for him, anyways.

At 1:00, half an hour before the reaping starts, our family heads to district 2's square. It's been decorated with photos of our victors along our justice building, and streamers lining the door.

Me and my brothers leave to our age group, where we will wait throughout the entire reaping. I find myself in a clump of other seventeen year old girls, some I know from class.

Our district escort, Aleena Trenzor bounces on stage.

She always starts off with, "Happy Hunger Games!"

These Capitol people, their accents are just... Weird. I always laugh in my head at their silly voices each year.

Anyways, Aleena Trenzor rambles on and on about how our country Panem rised, how the 13th district got destroyed, and all the rules about The Hunger Games, and much more stuff, which no one bothers paying attention to because we hear it every freaking year.

Our mayor steps up and calls out the names of all of our victors. 18, to be exact. Only ten are still alive, though. The two victors who will be mentors this year, are sitting in chairs on stage.

Finally, Aleena steps back onto the podium and yells out, "Ladies first!" and walks over to the glass balls, one that holds the boys slips and one that holds the girls' slips.

She's about the throw her manicured hand into the girls slips when I voice yells out from the crowd.

"I volunteer as boy tribute!" a voice rings out from the crowd.  
A strong-looking blonde boy steps out from the 18s.

I can't help but stiffle a laugh. He's so eager, the way he jumped out from the crowd like he desperately needed a bathroom.

I find myself grinning as Aleena asks for his name and he replies with a fierce voice. "Cato Hylend"

I don't know this guy.  
Ive thought of volunteering this year, but my thoughts cloud away at the sight of this boy.  
Strong muscles. Tall. I ignore the sight of him as Aleena is blabbing on about what good sport he is, how volunteers are super common in this district.

Aleena Trenzor finally yells out, "Now for the girl!"  
She reaches her pale hand into the girls ball and pulls out a name.

"Madaline Stelan" she yells out.  
A slight blonde girl shows up, blood drained from her face.  
I don't know her, either. Though she's so small it's obvious she's still in her first reaping.

"I volunteer," I yell out clearly.  
The girl lightens up with a smile, whispering a thanks as I pass by her.

Finally! I've got the chance to volunteer! I brush by the upset looking eighteen year olds who have always dreamed of volunteering for the games.

I've always wanted to volunteer. But every year, before I get to even say "I," someone always yells out, "I volunteer as tribute!"

Basically the worries here isnt about if you get picked, its not getting to volunteer.

As I climb the stage I notice the mayor nod in approval. It's not really a surprise, having two volunteer tributes from here almost always happens.

Aleena has gotton more enthusiastic, her voice growing louder with excitement.

"Oh! Another volunteer," she squeals. "What's your name?" she asks me.

I narrow my eyes at her. "Clove Denvern," I say gruffly.

I find myself standing taller, examining the faces of the citizens who stand below the stage. Their expressions are as hard as a rock.  
Several give a round of applaud, though there faces show that they were the ones that wanted to volunteer.

Aleena turns towards the crowd and speaks loudly. "Our tributes! Cato and Clove!"

After a bit more blabbing on and on, we're scurried into the justice building where we'll have a short amount of time to say our final goodbyes to our families and friends.

The visits are a bit of a blur.  
My mother gives me a good luck charm, which I can wear around my neck.

"Thanks," I mumble. My mother can never impress me, don't know why. Her screaming for me to wake up everyday, totally annoying..

My father reminds me to try other weapons other then knives. "Get as much weapons as you can. Only trust some people, if your going for allies... Be-"

"Yeah, yeah," I say sarcastically, interrupting him.

Before I know it, those stupid peacekeepers are back and saying, "Times up!" to my family; which means they should leave immediately. They do, wishing me luck.

No one else visits me. Im not surprized- I dont have many friends, and most of them are probably angry at me for taking the amazing honor of being a tribute in the games! I dont care, I think, grimly.

After both me and Cato's final goodbyes are done, we're hurried outside and onto the train, where we will be taken to the Capitol.

I ignore everyone, and just go to my train compartment. I cant wait until I go into the arena, win, and come back to District 2, my parents immpressed.

I lay on the bed, still in my stupid reaping outfit, and close my eyes.

I somehow fall into a dreamless sleep, still holding on the the charm, only one thought forming in my mind;

I need to find a way to _kill_ Cato.

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**Author's Note:**

So, thats it for the first chapter! Hope you've liked it! Please rate and review, tell me what you think about it. I've got the second and third chapter already written down, working on the fourth! I'll have Chapter 2 uploaded tommorow, 3 the next day, and hopefully I'll have Chapter 4 done by then! Im pretty sure I wont be able to post another chapter everyday, because Im busy (with school, work, etc..) but I'll try! Plus, please tell me if I've got any spelling errors or punctuation wrong!

Thanks for readin! (;

~ I-Clove-U


	2. Arrival at the Capitol

Hi guys! Here's chapter 2 of **"Lovely.. Or Should I Say, Clovely." **This chapter is a bit shorter then the first chapter; just over 1,000 words. I hope you dont mind! I know TONS of users tend to make their chapters REALLY long, like atleast 3,000 words, and I try, but its just not working. Though, hopefully this chapter is still good! Now, lol, I dont want this note to be very long, so, Im just gonna say, please Rate and Review!

On with the Chapter!

**Disclaimer: **All characters, ideas, etc.. belong to the amazing genius, Suzanne Collins! However, this writing, belongs to me..

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**Chapter 2 - Arrival at The Capitol**

A banging on my door wakes me up and the pounding feels like the door is going to break.  
I bolt right-up.

"Up, up!" a voice yells. Ugh. Aleena is calling me to eat lunch..  
I must have fallen asleep here in the train room.

I lazily get up, still in my reaping outfit.

In less then 10 minutes I'm in the dinning room, sitting beside Cato as we eat.  
I grab a plate of toast and cheese.

Aleena's spending most of her time fixing her make up, not eating. Gosh, her outfit makes her look so silly.

An orange shirt, with puffy shoulders. Long blue skirt, stripes along it. I hate orange with blue. She's wearing SUPER high high heels. How the heck can she even walk in those? They're black, and ugh, ugly. I hate heels.  
I figure she's wearing some sort of wavy wig, a pink one to be exact.

The dinning room is full of flowers, plates, food, and even more decorations then I've ever seen before. I pick up

This years mentors, Brutus and Enobaria, walk into our dinning room.

Enobaria won about ten years ago. Brutus, about just over fifteen years ago. I dont know when exactly. Enobaria sits in the seat across from me, Brutus on the other side.

"Hi, Clove. I'm this years mentor for the girl tribute of District 2," she says.

I force a smile to my lips. I like Enobaria. Ive seen her alot around District 2, she's outside most of the time. I dont remember seeing a re-run of her Hunger Games, but it must've been good.

"Great," I finally say back.

A couple seconds later, Brutus, the boy's mentor this year, comes into the dinning room.  
He takes a seat beside Enobaria. He'll be Cato's mentor.

"So, you two," he starts off, while picking up a fork. "Any skills?"

I leap in and blurt out every skill I know before Cato can even open his mouth to talk.

"Knife throwing. Basically my dad tought me how to knife throw since I was six. I've perfected my skills," I say grinning. "Plus, my dad had me learn to manage any weapon. I can also manage 50 pounds," I say impressed with myself. "I can run 5 kilometres without getting tired, too."

Ha! Cato stares at me stunned, then finally talks.

"The sword is my weapon," he says, folding his arms. "I can handle more then a hundred pounds, wrestle, and I can use about almost every single weapon," he says, himself grinning.

"Well, you do look like a wrestler," Enobaria comments.

Gosh, I can't believe she's favoring HIM! I just hate being second rate. I doubt he can even throw a knife like me! But I've got to act like I don't care, so I just force myself a fake smile.

"Well, you too both seem like very well trained tributes," says Brutus.

Brutus is somewhat of a whiz with knives, like me. He can throw knives, never missing. Im sure. Ive seen a re-run of his victory.

"So, Clove?" Enobaria's hard voice interrupts my thoughts. "Separatly or together?"

"Whatever, I don't mind," I say, although I do mind.

I can tell Cato is a good competitor, but I don't want him to think I'm scared of him. So what? Even if he knows how good I can handle knives, it won't matter. I'll kill him when the time comes...

After we're done eating, we head into another compartment where we'll watch the recaps of the other reapings.

A few competitors fade in and out of my thoughts.

The boy from district 11- he's huge, with a permanent frown on his face as he monstrously mounts the stage. A wimpy girl from district 3. A sly, red-haired girl from five.. District one, an arrogant girl. And finally, a so called "savior" from district twelve, people keep talking about. She saved her sister. Well, hello? I saved that girl named Madaline? But no. They feature her... her...

The recap ends and Enobaria stands up.

"Alright, you two. You have the rest of the day to your selves. Just stay on the train even at stops please," says Enobaria, clearly dismissing us.

"Alright," says Cato, glaring at me.

I don't say anything, just glare back.

Stupid Cato! Acting like he's better then me! I'll show him, once we do training...

Unfortunately for me, almost the entire trip, has Cato near me bragging about sports contests he's won. He asks me about how I train and such, and I answer him with short answers.

Maybe we can be friends. Maybe we can be a team. But I dont want him as an ally, or whatever.

Atlast, we arrive in the Capitol. It's felt like a blur, thanks to the speedy Capitol trains.

I'm staring out the window, grinning, and I can't help but laugh at all the Capitol people's appearances.

Wigs, makeup. Pale faces, heels.  
They're clothing make them look like clowns, especially the makeup. A lady, another funny looking one catches my eye. Purple super frizzy wig, green poofy skirt with blue polka dots, floral orange tank top/shirt, with light coloured small flowers on it. They're a big fat flower on her hair, and she's wearing high heels, the color of a red tomato. I laugh.

Aleena Trenzor, Enobaria, and Brutus lead me and Cato out the train, into a car, taken to the building where all of us will be staying for our last week before the games. I dont really see much- we're each taken into big rooms I have no idea what they're for.

Ugh, then I remember. The Remake Center.  
I highly think I'll get one of those stupid prep teams that keep blabbing on and on about their own life stories then doing their actual job of being a prep teams.

I'm not excited...

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**Author's Note:**

That's it! Yup, I know its shorter then the 1st chapter, sorry! (I'll try to get better at making chapters longer.) Chapter 3 will be posted tomorrow, as its already finished! In that chapter, it has some stuff about the Remake Center, and Clove's stylist, prep team. And, the chariots! Im warning you, (lol), the next chapter is SUPER SHORT. I'll try to edit it a bit to make it longer though! By the way, I've finished writing chapter 4! (Starting on the fifth chapter today)! Anyways, i'll stop writing now! Oh, and, PLEASE R&R! (Rate and Review)

~ I-Clove-U


	3. Chariot Rides

Hey, guys!

I'm back with Chapter 3! As I said in last chapter, this chapter is REALLY short. It has the right stuff, though, dont worry. Clove gets prep'd up by her prep team, and chariot rides happen this chapter.. I've added a bit of stuff today to this chapter, to make it longer, and I've explained more things, etc... Anyways, I dont want to talk (well, type :D) alot, so here it is, chapter 3! Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **All characters, ideas, etc.. belong to the amazing genius, Suzzane Collins! However, this writing, belongs to me..

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**Chapter 3 - Chariot Rides**

Almost done!" says a lady named Talia.

I roll my eyes.  
I've been in the remake center for more than 2 hours, and my prep team is still not done with me.

My prep team is annoying. All they do is chat on and on with each other about parties they've been to, clothes, and blah blah blah no one cares!

3 people form my prep team; Talia, Caleb, and Jennet. Yup, Caleb is a boy. And I hate the fact that there could be any amount of boys or girls in my prep team, because obviously, I'd rather have all women in my prep team.

When we arrived at the remake center, before Enobaria left, I hesitated.

"You mean there could be a boy in my prep team?" I snapped, after her giving us instructions on what to do there, and such.

"Yes, of course," she said and left, eyeing me with a why-would-you-care face, and I'd rolled my eyes.

Now here I am, surrounded by three idiots who are to prep me up.

Shampoo in my hair, lotion on my skin it just feels different. Ugh, Jennet also threaded my eyebrows, which sting!

"Done. Your hair's all done," Caleb says, after using some conditioner on my jet-black hair.

"I'm done, too!" says Talia, who has just finished fixing up my nails.

"Finally!" I say, examining my hair and face, my nails. My hair is piled up neatly on my head, and my nails have been purely cut and weirdly manicured. My face is wet from some lotion they used to face lift my face from any flaws.

"We're all done. Wait for Brianne, your stylist, to come." says Jennet, and they leave the room. Im left alone, staring at the big mirror infront of my face.

I look fine, I guess. My prep team has rid me of any body hair, which is emmbarassing.. I kept twitching and poking my arms and legs as they removed any hair... But I look prettier now, so that should get me more chances on getting stleast some sponsors.

Gosh, I hope that Brianne, my so-called sylist, isn't a crazy looking as my prep team..

Jennet- coal black hair with multicolored streaks. Caleb, spiky orange hair. Last but not least; Talia. Plump, pale grey skin. Red hair. Freaky.

About three minutes later, a lady who I assume is my stylist, walks in the door, me only in a thin robe.

"Hi, Clove. I'm Brianne, your stylist," she says.

She looks so- formal. Thin black tank top- dark blue jeans. The only thing is that she has super big earings, the colour of the green sea. And, she has different shades of brown in her hair.

"Alright," I say atlast.

"Lets see what Talia, Caleb, and Jennet have done to you."

She runs her fingers through my hair, piled on top of my head with clips.

"Great," Brianne says. "I'd told them not to do anything to your hair except brush, and shampoo it."

As we sit down at an expensive-looking table, we chat and discuss the Chariot Rides.

I hope me and Cato get dressed into something good... Unlike those tributes from 12 every year. Most years they come out stripped naked with coal dust on them...

Our discussion is pretty much a blur, because before I know it it's time for the chariots.

-  
Brianne dresses me up in a golden outfit- which I'm not sure how it relates to our industry of weapon manufacturing or rock mining.

But it looks good on me, so whatever.

We meet up with Cato and his stylist- Daniel. A tall man who looks like he's in his thirties.

Cato is also in a gold reflective costume, and his sleeveless top exposes his muscles- wouldn't want to wrestle him in the arena..

And the chariots begin.

First, of course, is district one.  
I'm set aside by the female tribute and her outfit. Bright gown- huge hot pink headdress, and a necklace- Now I remember, their district is luxury.

A couple seconds later, it's our turn. Our chariot comes rolling into the tribute parade and the crowd cheers.

"Clove! Cato!"  
"Kah-love!"

I get a glimpse of my face in the large tv screen. My face, confident, caked with makeup.

The other chariots come rolling in, one by one.

The crowd roars in amusement- wait, at the district twelve tributes.  
I look up at one of the tv screens.

They're on fire! Wearing black suits... Ive got to say, they're stylists much be one of the best, or atleast new, because on all the previous years, the tributes from 12 are always in idiotic looking outfits, or ugh, naked with coal dust...

But, ugh, they're stealing our spotlight! What are they doing.. Holding hands? Pathetic. The girl though, looks extra confident with her chin up, while the wimpy-looking boy is unsteady, constantly looking from side to side as if he doesnt want to be there.. Of course he doesnt want to be there, he's freaked out on how and if he'll die. The girl, I'll kill her with my own hands..

Damn girl... I think of how I will kill her in the arena.

Everyone's cheering "Cat-Ness!" or something, I dont know.

No, they should be chanting "Clove," for me! Not her! I seriously dislike her already.

I'll kill her.. With a knife.  
Or maybe two. Or three, four, five.. She'll be dead in day.

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**Author's Note:**

Sorry if that was short! Yes, I know, some of you probably read this really fast, sorry about that! Lol, anyways, as I said, Chapter 4 will be posted tomorrow! Im really behind on Chapter 5 but tonight I'll try to write it as I haven't started yet and hopefully it'll be done by Saturday! Next chapter; is alled "Pre-Training", which is RIGHT after the Chariots but before training!

Any ways, thanks for reading so far! Rate & Review! :)

~ I-Clove-U


	4. Competition

Hey!

Chapter 4 of **"Lovely.. Or Should I Say, Clovely", **is up! This chapter isnt long, but it isn't short. Next chapter, though, I think is a bit longer, hopefully I can have myself write longer chapters! Oh, and, I've gotton atleast two emails telling me "The following member has added your story to her/his Favorite Stories list". Thanks! Yup, its only 2, but Im glad people are actually reading my writing! No reviews yet, hopefully I can get atleast one review by the time its tomorrow? Thanks!

On with the story, again! :)

**Disclaimer: **All characters, ideas, etc.. belong to the amazing genius, Suzzane Collins! However, this writing, belongs to me..

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**Chapter 4 - Competition**

And the President's speech finishes with a huge round of applaud from the Capitol. I didn't listen to most of it- frustration over comes me from those district twelve kids.

I narrow my eyes, looking back.

That girl named Catness or something.. She's stealing all the sponsors!

We're off the chariots and I'm whispering something in Cato's ear.

"Kill. Her." I snarl in his ear.  
I realize he's thinking the same thing because he immediately snaps back to me, teeth gritted.

"Girl On Fire... I can't wait for her death!" he says, annoyed by her appearance.

I can say she's pretty- not the prettiest though. Her hair's - I guess okay, just a couple of tiny braids here and there.

I just can't keep my eyes off her. She's getting too much attention.

I group of tributes- from Districts One and Four, approach us.

"Hi!" says a blonde girl with green eyes.

It's the district one arrogant girl.

"I'm Glimmer! And this is Marvel," she says, pointing to her really tall district partner.

Glimmer? I have to keep from laughing because that name is so ridicules. I pretend to cough.

The boy, Marvel, extends his arm out and I give him a firm handshake.

"Cato," I say pointing to Cato.  
"And I'm Clove," I say grimly.

"Ooh, it's only after the Chariots and we're already getting allies!" Glimmer says in a cheerful voice, twirling her soft light hair with her fingers.

Cato agrees.

I realize the district four careers haven't said a word- so I turn to them.

I'm surprised they actually look really unsteady.  
The boy looks like he's about 12, not standing a chance. The girl; a bit older with black hair and sea green eyes.

"I'm Cole," says the boy, surprisingly quiet.

"And I'm Tori," says the girl.

Glimmer suddenly nods idiotically, hair in her face.

"More allies!"

I dislike her already- Ugh, I realize Cato sort of "likes" her, don't know how. She's got this show off kinda look to her.

I wonder if she is actually even capable of using a weapon to kill. I'm sure Marvel could use atleast a spear- he looks strong.

But other then Cato, I've seen no bigger competition so far.

I realize Enobaria, and Brutus are motioning for us to come, so we do, and Glimmer, Marvel, Zena and Cole plainly leave to their mentors, too.

"You were great!" Enobaria says, almost sheepishly.

Nahh, it was all me, Enobaria. All me. I'll win these games.

We're escorted into the building where all of us will stay until the final days to come, of training, interviews, and finally- the games.

I'm surprised I'm actually overwhelmed by the fast zipping of the elevator of the building. It's not really long though, seeing as we're district 2, which means that we're only on the second floor.

I badly want to have a conversation with Enobaria about those District 12 tributes, but I bite my lip, feeling as if it's somehow childish.

I mean, we're careers. We should be able to handle everyone else and kill them.

But that boy and girl- holding hands... Just ugh, disgusts me. As if there's something going on between them, I don't like it.

It's not fair, really- the expressions in the reapings when they get chosen, no way like they want to participate in the games.  
But they end up getting all the attention they don't deserve!

I spend atleast ten minutes examining my room I'll be staying in for the couple of days to come.

It's big- or should I say, huge. Big bed, with a white mattress and dark blue fine material pillows and blanket. I run my fingers through the soft silk.

A huge bathroom- The shower is big. It's like a big control panel in there. Buttons. If you want cold water or hot water, slow or fast; anything you like, just press a button and you'll get it.

There's also blow dryers that blow dry your hair after showering.

Also in the room, there's a tiny window; really tightly closed. A big drawer full of clothes which are probably crazy.

I have to say that the whole room is different- compare my room back home with this and you'll find lots of differences.

My room in 2 only has a small bed big enough for only me- white covers, green blankets.

A mahogany drawer with some old clothes, and a journal, plus a small closet with other clothes I've got.

Before I even know it, a slam on my door indicates I should come out. "

Out!" squeals Aleena with her annoying voice. "Time for dinner!" she says and I hear her high heels clicking on the floor as she walks away from the door.

I slip out of the room, closing the door behind me with a light click, and head over to dinner. I'm starving.

"Tomorrow is training," says Brutus directly to me as I approach the table to sit down.

I take a seat beside Cato again, nodding as I can't wait for the training to come tomorrow. I can't wait to get my hands on all the different knives here.

"Remind me, what is your best weapon?" Enobaria asks.

"Knives, knives and knives," I say quickly. Knives.

"Swords mostly, but I'll handle any other weapons too," says Cato.

I can handle other weapons too; but I'd like to just stick with a knife...

Oh, yes. I'll have the pleasant task of killing that Catness girl. I make a disgusted face.

"Anything wrong, Clove?" asks Enobaria, who interrupts my thoughts of the arena.

"Twelve," I say and she understands.

"Yes, we'll have to find out something about them..."

Cato jumps into the conversation. "Think about it! They were holding hands!"

"You don't understand, Enobaria." I try to stay calm. "They're stealing all the attention!"

Brutus nods too, about to say something, but Cato cuts him off.

"Them... Especially that stupid girl, are first on MY kill list!" yells Cato, making a fist with his hand. "First. I don't want some puny idiots from twelve to be me so-called competitors." and I agree.

"The sponsors are the problems," says Brutus, somewhat changing the subject. "The more attractive tributes, the ones with the higher training scores are the ones who get the most sponsors."

I wonder if I'll have any sponsors. Surely at least a couple of Capitol citizens are willing to sponsor me.

"Anyways, training is tommorow. Cato- there'll be tons of swords, use them. And Clove- there will be dozens of knives. Make sure to show your superior strength."

Great. Training. I can't wait... To practically show off my knife throwing skills to those from the loser districts... I'll show 'em how good I am. I'll get the highest training score...

* * *

**Author's Note:**

That's it... until tomorrow, when Chapter 5 is posted! I've already writen it yesterday, so thats a good head start so I can probably start writing Chapter 6 today (?). Any ways, **PLEASE REVIEW!** It only takes a minute or less, and I've got no reviews yet. SO, if your reading this, please review! You dont have to have a fanfiction account. By the way, like I said, be ready for a longer chapter tomorrow! And, you can tell me if I have any spelling and puncuation errors in here, feel free to! I dont want my writing to be all messed up, lol.

Thanks for readingggg! ;D

~ I-Clove-U


	5. Preparation

Haiii tributes!

Chapter 5; yes I know that in the last chapter I said it would be called "Pre-Training", but I changed it to "Preparation" because, eh, I just thought that would be better? :) Anyways, this chapter is longer then any of the previous ones, just over _1,700_ words. 1,745 words, exactly.. Next chapter is even longer, though! Be ready! OH, and, I've got my first reviewer! Thanks to_ tennisgirl1234_, hopefully I'll get another review by tomorrow! (:

On with the chapter !

**Disclaimer: **All characters, ideas, etc.. belong to the amazing genius, Suzzane Collins! However, this writing, belongs to me..

* * *

**Chapter 5 - Preparation**

I wake up on the way-too-soft bed, as I prop myself up on one elbow, rubbing my eyes. I've got just about enough time to get off my bed before the pounding on the door starts again.

"Get up, up up! It's going to be a big day! Today is training!" A familiar voice yells.

Eghh, it's Aleena.

"Ugh, I'm coming Aleena!" I yell back, annoyed.

It takes me 10 minutes to get ready, though I'm super excited for training today. Today I get to show all of the other 23 tributes how good I am.

I change into my training outfit that's been laid out for me on the cupboard beside my bed, slip into some boots that have been waiting for me at the door.

I leave my cozy compartment and head over to the dinning room, where Cato, Enobaria, and Brutus are already seated and boring into their breakfast. I take a seat, too.

"Good, your up," says Enobaria when she sees me. "We need to discuss your strategy for training."

Knowing Enobaria- she's been insisting on mentoring tributes for at least ten years. So she'll know what to do.

I nod slowly, gulping down a bit of banana bread. I chew on the soft food, before I start talking. "Kay, where do we start?"

"All right," she says while I literally shovel food into my mouth. "So we've already decided that you need to, to put it simply, be yourself. Don't waste too much time at stations that you aren't that good at. Stick with the knives mostly, your best weapon, and make sure that everyone knows that you never miss your target. Scare them. And you don't need to be with Cato the whole time, of course, but don't associate yourself with any tributes except for those in your alliance One, Two, and Four, naturally."

I nod that I understand. Practically both my parents gave me this speech after the reaping, and, who am I to argue with? My dad's cousin, Mitchell, won a couple years back and my father advises me to follow in his footsteps.

I notice Brutus and Cato haven't said a word, so I look at Cato for a moment and turn back to Enobaria.

"Enobaria, me and Cato-" I start but I'm interrupted by her.

"Yes, yes Clove. I know you and Cato are friends. But me and you need to discuss your strategy, so if you'll excuse us..."

Cato glances at me. I shrug. Might as well get this out of the way. "Well, Enobaria," I begin hesitantly, "we were noticing the tributes from Twelve last night, and Cato and I talked about it, and we think we should focus on eliminating them. They could have a lot of sponsors, they could be dangerous. We've already confirmed the alliance," I add. "There's no need to train us separately until the interviews, really."

Enobaria and Brutus look at each other and shrug simultaneously.

It's true. Yesterday, I was just stomping over to bed, when before I opened the door to my room, Cato called me for a moment that we should talk.

"Listen, Clove. Like it or not, we're going to be allies in the arena. It's tradition. In addition to that, one of us is going to win these Games. And since we're going to be allies anyway, we might as well figure out a game plan as soon as possible."

The idea suddenly frightened me for some reason, as Cato could unexpectedly kill me in my sleep, or something. But I had just agreed, and we shook hands, declaring ourselves allies. For now...

"Sure," says Brutus. "You're probably right. The last time someone from Twelve made that big a splash at the opening ceremonies, they won. Haymitch Abernathy, remember?" When everyone stares at him, he flushes an ugly maroon color. "I've watched the tapes, all right?" he says defensively.

"Sure, Brutus.." says Enobaria in a sharp tone, rolling her eyes.

"Anyways, to be perfectly honest, I doubt they're going to be much of a threat. The boy, at least. He's defiantly not skilled. The girl might be a problem though, she looked very determined and the crowd obviously loved her the most."

I scowl at the floor. It's true. The girl had more determination in her face then I've ever seen in any tribute from a poor district like hers.

"She's pretty small though," she points out. "I think you should do your best to take her out at the bloodbath, get rid of her early on so you don't have to worry about her later."

Sounds good to me. I turn to Cato. "I want to kill her," I say bluntly. I don't know why, but I really hate this girl. Maybe it's because she stole my spotlight at the opening ceremonies. Maybe I just don't want anyone who could be threat, even a small one, in the picture.

Cato frowns. "Everyone's going to want to kill her," he points out. "You saw them. Usually Twelve just blends in, and no one worries about them. This year they stand out, and none of the other tributes will like that."

Enobaria stares at me, clearly thinking hard. Finally, she speaks. "You have three days of training coming up. Watch her. See what this girl is capable of. When the scores come out, we'll have a good idea of whether or not she's worth focusing on."

God, I'm glad Enobaria is my mentor. She's a genius.

Brutus glances at his watch. "It's almost ten," he says. "Clove and Cato should get downstairs."

Immediately, all thoughts of District 12 leave my head. We're going to training! Finally, I think excitedly. I've only been waiting for this since, what, I turned five?

Enobaria and Brutus walk us to the elevator, and we take the short ride downstairs. I'm practically bouncing up and down the whole time, and Cato is actually smiling.

Stepping off the elevator, I see that we're one of the first districts to arrive. The only other tributes present are those from One and Four.

Perfect.

From far away I can make out my- I mean me and Cato's future allies as they spot us.

We walk over to them, as I straighten my stand, and for a moment no one speaks, until Glimmer interrupts our thoughts with an annoying pitched "Hi again!"

"Hey," says Cato casually.

Marvel rubbs his dark blue eyes and looks at me. "Well, I'm sure we've got tons of things to discuss. I'm Marvel, if you don't remember.

Im fine with Marvel- yes, he looks less weaker then Cato, but he can still work up some strategy with spears or something. Atleast he isn't stupid like Glimmer.

I realize, that again, the district four tributes haven't said anything, and I start to think they're annoyed by our appearance.

The young boy, forgot what his name is - takes a deep breathe and speaks. "I'm Cole. Remember me? And this is-"

"Tori. And I can talk my self, Cole. Thank you very much," she says, shooting a dirty glance at him.

"Well, then. The first thing we need to discuss is-"

" is twelve," I mutter.

"Here's the deal, though," Cato says, "I don't particularly care who kills the boy. He's worthless. But the girl could be a problem. And you're not gonna like this, but Clove and I have dibs on killing her."

Glimmer hisses and Marvel's eyes tighten. All four of our allies look furious.

Tori is the first to recover. "Maybe we want to kill her, too," she snaps. "You don't have any right to claim her like that. You're not the only one who hates her!"

I raise an eyebrow. "Sorry, that's not how it works. We have dibs on the fire girl, and that's that."

Marvel glares at me. "Oh? And how do you know one of us didn't call her before you did?" he challenges mockingly.

Cato rolls his eyes. "Well, seeing as you can't officially call dibs until the whole alliance is together, and Clove and I have just done that, and you haven't well, I'd say it's a pretty safe bet."

I somehow manage to stifle the laugh that desperately wants to escape me. I take one look at the faces of my allies, though, and think that laughing at them might not be the greatest idea. Quickly, I think of a solution.

"Yes, Cato and I have dibs on actually killing her. But no one said we can't have some fun with her before that," I say, the corners of my lips turning up in a vicious smile. "We can give the audience a really good show scare her, of course, and make sure she doesn't die quickly."

Our four so called "allies" smirk and walk away from us as groups and groups of tributes file into the training centre. I become aware of when the district twelve tributes come in- the last ones to arrive, to be exact.

That's when I know that Cato and I are the leaders of this alliance; everyone else is looking at us with something that resembles respect. We're smart, and unmerciful, and we want to win. What else can someone ask for in an ally?

Just then, a tall, athletic woman walks into the room and introduces herself as Atala. She quickly briefs us on all the stations and the rules, and then every tribute has their district number pinned onto their shirt.

When we're released, Cato drags me over to the sword station, probably so that he can show off. But then, as he picks up a huge, deadly looking sword, he leans down to whisper in my ear. "So, what do you think? About them?"

I hesitate. "I don't think they're much to go on. I think I'll actually get along okay with Glimmer, but Marvel and Tori seem really irritating... But Cole doesn't seem like a threat at all. I'm not sure "

Cato nods. "Yeah, that's more or less what I thought too. So, let's say that if someone goes after one of them at the Cornucopia particularly Tori we won't try too hard to help. Agreed?"

"Perfect. And just so you know," I say with a grin, "that stuff about them being able to help with Twelve was absolute bullshit. She's all ours."

Cato laughs and we high-five.

It's great to have allies.

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**Author's Note:**

Well, thats Chapter Five! Enjoyed it? Submit a review! My goal is 3 reviews by tomorrow! Chapter 6, I wrote and completed it yesterday, so it'll be uploaded tomorrow for sure! Next chapter is when the **REAL **training begins. I think it's my most successful chapter by far, hopefully it is to you, too! Well,

Thanks for reading!:D

~ I-Clove-U


	6. Training

Oh god.

Not only did I get 3 reviews... But I got 4 reviews! Thanks! Now, this is Chapter 6! In this chapter, its MOSTLY about training, but something else happens too... Read to find out! This is by far, the longest chapter I've written, almost 3,000 words! (not including author's note.) I'm trying for 5 reviews by tomorrow, (easy, eh?). If I DO get 5 reviews, I'll make a The Hunger Games one-shot on Cato's feelings after Clove's death and such. Its a one-shot, meaning its only about as long as a regular chapter.

Well then..Here's chapter 6!

**Disclaimer: **All characters, ideas, etc.. belong to the amazing genius, Suzanne Collins! However, this writing, belongs to me..

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**Chapter 6 - Training**

Throwing spears quickly becomes boring, for me, anyway. Cato seems to love it. Of course, I'm decent at this My father trained me in every weapon available to us. But the spears are so heavy, and after about half an hour I'm ready to move on.

"Where next, then?" Cato asks, after throwing a huge spear into the heart of a dummy. I grin, and we head over to the knives.

The only other tribute at this station is the girl from Nine, and she's awful. She's aiming for a dummy about ten or twenty feet away, and can't even get a solid stick. I come up to her and it's obvious she's petrified already.

"Want some help?" I say sweetly. The girl nods, looking relieved, and I pick up a knife. "Here, let me show you." Like Im actually going to help her, I think. I fling the blade at the dummy, and it sticks right in its heart.

The girl stares for a moment; then she scurries away, clearly frightened. Cato cracks up. I grin.

"That was great," he laughs. "Did you see the look on her face?"

I laugh, too. "Yeah. The tributes from Nine are always pathetic."

Cato smirks at me. "Okay, well, let's see what you've got."

I raise an eyebrow in disbelief. "Um, hello? Did you not see what just happened here?" I say sarcastically.

He rolls his eyes. "Of course I did, Clove! Your good. But I'm sure you can do better than that."

I suppose he has a point. I pick up a short, very sharp blade and look around for an acceptable target everything is so close! Then I spot the girl I just scared off over at the rock wall. She's clearly an okay climber, since she's already gotten halfway up the wall in the short time since she ran from me. But right now she's just hanging there, unable to reach the next foothold.

I think I'll help her out.

I judge the distance she's about forty feet away. It's far, but I've been using knives since I could talk it's within my range.

"Need some help again, sweetheart?" I call out to the girl. The tributes from Twelve look up at something I've said. I smile smugly at them, anticipating their reactions. I turn back to the rock wall the girl from Nine is staring at me fearfully.

Taking a half step forward, I fling the knife toward my target. I'm not actually aiming for the girl, of course it's against the rules, and I don't want to risk disqualification. No, the blade buries itself in the wall, halfway between the foothold the girl was reaching for and the one she's grasping now. Just as I knew it would, of course.

It's one of my best throws in years, surprisingly. the blade isn't visible at all, just the hilt. I wink at the girl, who's still staring at me, petrified. Grinning, I toss my hair back behind my shoulders and turn back to the other knives. The deadlier ones.

Cato, who I've all but forgotten about, nudges me in the arm. "Look at Twelve!" he hisses.

I look over at the two tributes they're at the camouflage station. Camouflage? I stifle a laugh. The girl- Katniss I hear the boy call her, is staring at me with wide eyes as she should be. As everyone should be. The boy looks scared, too but he's looking at her.

"What the hell?" I whisper to Cato.

He shrugs at me. "I.. Don't know, do I? Looks like he wasn't faking at the opening ceremonies, though, don't you think?" he says.

I scowl and stalk over to another target, taking as many knives as I can carry with me. The target is relatively simple it's just a larger version of a dartboard. I picture Katniss's face on the center of the board, and hitting the bulls-eye is effortless every time. I never, ever miss.

I'm aware that several tributes are watching me, and that makes it even more important that I never miss. And I don't, of course. I am a professional. But after a while of aiming and throwing every single knife, it gets a little repetitive, so I turn to Cato.

As if he's bored, which he probably is, I ask "Want to try?"

He nods, grinning as he picks up a large, serrated blade. Then he walks back to the dummies and aims for one that's maybe fifteen feet away. The knife doesn't stick, but it does slice open a large portion of the dummy's chest. I give a thumbs up in approval. It would be a fatal wound.

I'm pleased to see that Cato, though adequate with knives, isn't nearly as skilled as I am. As if reading my mind, he turns to me. "Save it you're better at this. But I could take you with anything else!"

I roll my eyes. "You're on."

For a few hours, we try to go to every station with weapons. At least, that's the original plan but we figure out pretty quickly that it takes too long for us to determine a winner with every skill. This will probably take the rest of today and a good portion of tomorrow.

So far Cato has beaten me with maces, archery, and, of course, spears. However, I'm the champion when it comes to axes and knives and I'm about to win at the machete station.  
A chuckle escapes my mouth. "Fine!" he huffs. "You win at this."

I smirk. "Of course I do!"

To be honest, I'm really surprised at how well Cato and I have been getting along. I mean, I always thought he was mad, but he's surprisingly not. It's really easy to just talk to him, joke around a bit, and not be uncomfortable. I feel like, if we were anywhere else but here, we could be friends.

And that scares the hell out of me.

I bite my lip, uncertain. I know it's a bad idea to become close to Cato at all. Because we can't be friends. Anywhere else, absolutely. But not here, where in the next few weeks one or both of us is going to die.

And it can't be me who's to die.

Our conversation is interrupted when we're told that it's time for lunch. We immediately look around for our allies, and we all grab a table when we find them.

One of the simplest ways to intimidate other tributes is to build a large alliance and show it off. Of course, Career tributes have been using this strategy since the Games began. Cato, Glimmer, Marvel, Tori, Cole, and I should be great at this.

"So, what do you think of everybody, now that we've gotten to see them up close?" I ask Glimmer, who I've taken a seat beside.

"They're all pathetic," she snorts. We all laugh loudly. The other tributes who are, for the most part, sitting alone glance up briefly, then swiftly look away. It's nice to know they're already scared of us, even though there's still days left until the actual games begin.

"Nice stunt with the knife earlier, by the way," Marvel compliments me.

Tori snickers. "For a second there, I actually thought it was going to hit her! Too bad that's against the rules," she sighs.

Marvel nods. "Yeah, it's a shame," he says. Then he adds loudly, "Then again, they'll all be gone within a day or two. There may not even be a point in us forming an alliance at all!"

We all laugh again, but this time it's forced. That's not a smart this to say to your allies like, at all even if it is effective in scaring the other tributes. Still, I decide that Marvel isn't my favorite ally by a long shot.

Cato seems to be thinking along those lines as well. "Watch it," he says, so quietly that at first I doubt that Marvel even heard him. But then Marvel looks up, and the expression on his face is terrifying.

The rest of lunch is pretty awkward. Sure, we act as if nothing ever happened, so we don't raise suspicion but there's tension. I notice that Cato keeps shooting Marvel death glares when he thinks that no one is looking.

Lunch ends after about half an hour. I'm grateful, but then again, it might be a bad idea for me to be around Cato any more today. Then I have an idea.

"Cato, we need to split up," I whisper almost silently. "I don't like having Cole and Tori together. It seems like they might be planning something," I whisper suspiciously, glancing at them.

This, of course, immediately puts him on the defensive. "They better not be!" he hisses back in my ear rather loudly.

"No worries, I have a plan," I tell him. Then in a louder voice, I say, "Girls, come with me. We're going to separate from them for a bit."

Cato nods. "Marvel, Zen, with me."

After they've gone, I grin to myself. That, I must say, was a pretty brilliant move on my part. This way, I can stay away from Cato and the boys for a couple of hours just so I can clear my head.

I turn to Glimmer and Tori and decide to act a little bit, in some sort of nicer tone. "Thank you so much for agreeing to this," I groan. "He was driving me crazy!"

Glimmer rolls her eyes. "No worries," she says. "Marvel's an idiot, too, so I was actually pretty happy when you said we were splitting up."

"And Cole's a fool, of course. It's good to get away from him," Tori scoffs. "He's so overprotective!"

That surprises me. Cole's a small pesky boy, but I didn't think he would be in anyway overprotective.

"What do you mean?" I ask curiously.

Tori sighs. "Why don't we go over to the edible plants station, and I'll tell you there. Cold wouldn't go earlier, he only wanted to try out all the weapons and camouflage."

Glimmer and I quickly agree, and when we arrive, Tori sighs once again. "See, Cole is technically my cousin. Though - he doesn't act like it, he acts super overprotective of me, well, I'm three years older then him, I can manage myself!" she says rolling her eyes.

I just look at her, stunned. Cole.. Is her cousin? That's odd. I think back to when we first met the District Four tributes, and Tori was irritated with Cole when he tried to speak for her. It makes sense.

Did Tori just make all of that stuff up? Are they cousins? Or are they just lying..

I stifle a groan, with a bit of difficulty. That'd be just great, because Cole would have to be in on it too. And if they thought they needed to pretend they were cousins, they're almost certainly planning something. Something bad.

Yeah. That's just great.

I look over at my allies. Tori seems to be interested in this edible plants stuff, somehow, asking multiple questions. Glimmer, though, just looks plainly bored.

I have to take Glimmer's side on this. I honestly try to pay attention, but everything the trainer tells me just goes in one ear and out the other. Good thing Tori will be with us in the arena, she can be in charge of this stuff, as I don't think Cato and the others care about this stuff.

Finally, we get through all the plants and get ready to move on. "Where do you want to go next?" I ask Tori and Glimmer.

Glimmer shrugs. "How about we go tie some knots?"

Tori and I are fine with that, so we head over to the knot tying station. There's no one there at the time, so the trainer looks pleased to have some people interested in knot tying.

It's always irritating to find out that I'm not good at something, but I really suck at this. I peek over at Tori and Glimmer. It's obvious that Tori's great at this, because she already has a large pile of different knots. Glimmer is okay, she's successfully made a trap that leaves someone dangling by his or her ankle. But I'm struggling to make a simple noose.

I turn back to the rope for a few minutes, but I simply can't get the hang of this. As I throw it down in frustration, I hear someone sigh next to me.

It's Tori. She grabs the incomplete noose and works on it for all of ten seconds, and then it's finished.

I look at her in awe. "How are you so good at this? Did you learn in District Four?"

Tori surprises me by the feel in her face is looking a bit sad. "Finnick Odair is my uncle," she mutters quickly.

Fantastic.

This just gets better and better. One of my opponents no, two, because Cole must be also two of my opponents are related to Finnick Odair. The famous victor surely trained them for this yeah, this is not good, for me and Cato.

But the worst part is that now I have to tell him everything.

Im distracted as the rest of training drags. I keep glancing over at Cato he, Marvel, and Cole are back at the machete station. I'm actually having a decent time with Glimmer and Tori, but Cato needs to know what I've learned. Immediately.

Ugh, but I wish that wasn't necessary! Because of course I can't trust him. But for now, we're on the same team. Sort of..

When training ends finally I march straight over to Cato. Grabbing one of his arms, I drag him onto the elevator without a word. It's not until we're safely back on District Two's floor that I take a deep breath and say, "We have a problem."

He scowls. "Yeah, we do. Cole is a little son of a "

"Not him!" I say impatiently. "I mean, yeah him, but it's Tori, too." I quickly repeat what Tori told me, about Cole being her cousin and all. "And we were at the knot tying station, and she was really good, so I asked if she had learned it in District Four or something. And she said Finnick Odair is her uncle," I moan. "And if everything she's said is true, that means Cole is related to him, too. We're dead," I finish despairingly, covering my eyes with my hands.

Cato stares at me, stunned. Then his eyes narrow into menacing slits. "They didn't mention anything about that at the reaping! What the hell?"

I shake my head. "I don't know! Maybe we should go talk to Brutus and Enobaria "

He nods. "Probably. They should know what to do. Enobaria's a genius, anyways."

We find our mentors in the dining room, waiting for us. As fast as we can, we tell them about everything Tori had told me throughout training.. When we finish, I collapse into a chair next to Enobaria. Cato remains standing.

"Okay, first thing: calm down," Enobaria commands us. She doesn't speak for a couple seconds, but her face shows annoyance. Finally, she says, "Alright. You said that Tori is cousins with Cole, and that Finnick Odair is Tori's uncle. Correct?"

I nod disapprovingly. "We're dead!" I say bitterly, poking the table cloth with a sharp knife. "First the idiotic Katniss and Peeta from Twelve, now two careers from FOUR?"

I start to hyperventilate. Enobaria looks at me, concerned. "Clove? Are you all right?"

"No," I manage to choke out. "Oh. My. God. He's their mentor. We're dead."

Enobaria looks at me, irritated. "Of course he's they're mentor. He takes the job every year, I would know!"

I shake my head violently. "No! Don't you see? I know every mentor wants to bring their tributes back, but he'll have a legitimate reason this year, something besides the fact that they're from the same district!" I'm a little hysterical at this point. "He'll work even harder to make sure either his niece or nephew gets home! We're dead!"

I meet Cato's gaze for a second, knowing that he sees it too.

Enobaria slams her hand on the table. "ENOUGH! I'm very disappointed in both of you! For one thing, you should know better than to fall for something like this! First of all, do either Tori or Cole bear ANY resemblance to Finnick Odair whatsoever? No! Do you really think that you wouldn't have heard about it if two relatives of Finnick Odair were in the Hunger Games in the same year? Don't you think I would have told you? I'm your mentor, and I would have done will do just as much as Finnick ever could to bring my tributes home. How can you not know that? I'm very good at my job. I needed to know how well you could handle both pressure and the chance that someone could pose a threat to you! And guess what? I'm not pleased with the answer I got. You're Careers, dammit! You need to start acting like it!"

I stare at her. What? She made this all up? But then, she must have set it up with Finnick himself, for Tori and Cole to go along with it..

This was a test. And we just failed it.

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**Author's Note:**

Well, thats it.. for now! I've obviously already written chapter 7. It will be uploaded tomorrow!I really need to know what you think about this chapter, because its longer, and I guess Clove is a little... too OOC at the end. But, as I said, Im trying for 5 reviews by tomorrow! (4 right now). Tomorrow, Im going to go through ALL the chapters so far and correct any spelling mistakes and punctuation marks. Ive realised some already, but I dont have much time today, since its Sunday to go through everything.. SO, tomorrow, Ill read and correct everything, AND add Chapter 7! Well then, for now.. Rate & Review!

~ I-Clove-U


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